816 G R E A T B 
armament is employed in the ve-conquefl of Egypt; a 
third deftined to feize upon the Spanifli fe'tlemcnfs and 
gold-mines in South America ; and a fourth employed 
in the conqueft of Turkey in Europe ; befides the num¬ 
ber of men requifite to proteft our dominions in Afia 
and the Weft Indies; it becomes evident that our united 
ftrength niuft be impaired at home, while a temptation 
is held out to our implacable enemy to rifle the perils 
of an invafion. Better and wifer would it be for us, 
perhaps, to let thefe v’ifionary conquefts alone; remem¬ 
bering that the acquifttion of the gold-mines of South 
America was the ruin of Spain ; while induftry, com¬ 
merce, and the encouragement of our extenfive manu- 
faflures, have proved the aggrandifement and finews of 
Great Britain. 
Concerning the Sovereignty of the Seas, fo 
long claimed by Great Britain, and fo loudly oppofed 
by the court of France; it may here be proper to ftate 
the fads relative to its origin, and the fpirit and perfe- 
veranre with which it has been maintained by our fore¬ 
fathers. With relped to the right, as founded in nature, 
it feems reafonable to admit, that fince geographers have 
demonftrated that more than two thirds of this globe is 
Covered with water, and that the principal part thereof 
conflfts in iinmenfe tratfs of an unbounded ocean, over 
which no private claim or individual authority could 
have been originally let up, it follows, that he who 
fiiould JirJl poiTcfs, and occupy, and defend, and make 
fubfervient to his itfes, any particular parts of thefe 
immenfe feas, would be clearly entitled to the occu¬ 
pancy of them, to the utmoft limit that fuch occupancy 
could be maintained, exercifed, and defended. With 
refpect to the jujlice of the thing, we need only refer to 
thofe diftriiSts of the fea which are claimed as fiflieries, 
by dilferent fovereigns; for on the right above laid 
down, can the claim to thofe filheries alone be main¬ 
tained. And with refpedt to the law of nations, it is abun¬ 
dantly evident that every maritime power on the furface 
of the globe lias from time to time endeavoured to 
poflefs, and that ey.dufvcly, as much of the contiguous 
fea as their nautical abilities would enable them to 
occupy and defend, even from the remote era of the 
Piioenicians, to the period of the importunate Iblicita- 
tion of Napoleon I. to pollefs “ fleets, and flaps, and 
commerce, and a large portion of the dominion of the 
ocean,” in common with the Englilh. The charge, 
therefore, that Great Britain has unjuftly monopolized 
the fovereignty of the feas, appears to be founded in 
error and in envy; inafmuch as every other maritime 
power has endeavoured to avail itfelf of the fame ad¬ 
vantage ; and as it has been folcly owing to the fiipe- 
rior induftry, policy, and bravery, of the Englilh people, 
that they have fucceeded in this grand eftabliflnnent of 
their authority, and left all their competitors at a vaft 
dillance behind them. How this came I'o fortunately to 
happen, we lhall next endeavour to point out. 
'I he early eftablilhment of a defenlive and offenfive 
fleet, was a regulation which our anceftors, who were 
more verfed in the praftical pliilofophy of life than the 
fpeculative one of the clolet, thought necelfary for the 
weltaie and lalety of the kingdom. Realohing iro r. the 
felf.prefervaiion of an individual to the felf-prefervation 
of a people, they confidered the defence of ttiis illa-nd 
from foreign invafion, as the firft law in national policy; 
and judging that the dominion of the land could not be 
prelerved without poflefling tiiat of the lea, they made 
every effort to procure to the nation a maritime power 
fully adequate to tins moft fulutary purpole,. 'Ihus, in 
procefs of lime, the navy of England was univerlally 
allowed to excel all others for three things, viz. beauty, 
ftieiigth, and laiety ; for beauty, •our fliips of war b"?- 
caiiie lo many floating palaces; for tlieir ftrength, fo 
many moving caltles; and for lafety, they are unquef- 
tionabiV ihe moft defenfive walls of the land ; and as 
our naval power gained us autUority in the moft diftant 
R I T A I N. 
climates, fo the fuperiorlty of our fleet above other 
nations, for ages rendered the Britilh monarch the ar¬ 
biter of Europe. 
The kings of England in ancient times commanded 
tlieir fleets in perfon; and king Arthur vindicated the 
dominion of the feas, making ftiips of all nations falute 
our ftiips of war by lowering the topGil, and ftriking 
the flag, as in like manner they were accuftomed to do 
to the forts upon land; by which fubmilfion they were 
put in mind that they were come into a territory, where¬ 
in they had to own a fovereign power and jurifdidfion, 
and receive protedfioii from it: and this duty of the 
fl ag, which was conftantly paid to cur anceftors, ferved 
to imprint a reverence in foreigners, and added new 
courage to the Britilh feamen ; far’rwas contended, 
tliat reputation abroad is the principal fupport of the 
goveriiiTient at home. 
King Edgar, fucceflbr to Arthur, fiift ftilcd himfelf 
Sovereign of the narrow feas •, and having fitted out a fleet 
of four hundred fail of ftiips, in the year 937, failing 
about Britain with his mighty navy, and arriving at 
Cliefter, was there met by eight kings and princes of 
foreign nations come to do him homage; who, as an 
acknowledgment of his fovereignty, rowed this monarch 
in a boat down the river Dee, liimlelf (leering the boat; 
a marine-triunipii which is not to be paralleled in the 
hiftorics of nations. 
Canute (Edgar’s fucceftTor) laid the ancient tribute 
called Danegtld, for guarding the feas, and maintaining 
the fovereignty of them ; with the following emblem 
exprefted, viz. Himfelf fitting on the fliore in iiis royal 
chair while the fea was flowing, fpeaking, Tu mece ditionis 
is, ^ terra in qua fedeo ef, &c. Egbert, Alrhred, and 
Elthred, kept up the dominion and fovereignty of their 
predecelibi s; nor did the iucceediiig princes, of the 
Norman race, waive this great prerogative, but main¬ 
tained the right to the four adjacent feas furrounding 
the Britilh Ihore; the honour of the flag king John 
challenged, not barely as a civility, but a right to be 
paid cum debitd reverentid, and the perfoits refufing he 
commanded to be taken as enemies : and the fame fub- 
million was ordained not only to be paid to whole fleets, 
bearing the royal ftandard, but to thole Ihips of privi¬ 
lege that wore the prince’s enfigns or colours of fei vice: 
this decree was confirmed and bravely alferted by a 
fleet of five hundred lail, in a royal voyage to Ireland, 
wherein he made all the veftels which he met with in 
his way, in the eight circumfluent leas, to pay that duty 
and acknowledgment, which has been ever lince main¬ 
tained by our kings, and was never contefted by any 
nation, unlefs by thofe wlio occalionally threatened the 
conqueft of the whole empire. 
Trade gave occalion to the bringing mighty fleets to 
fea; and on the increafe of trade, Ihips of war were ne- 
celfary in all countries for the prefervatien of it in the 
hands of the juft proprietors. In ancient times the fe- 
-veral counties of England were liai le to a particular 
taxation fot building Ihips of war, and fitting out fleets, 
every one in proportion to their extent and riches ; lb 
that the largeft counties were each of them to furnilh a 
firft-rate man of war, and the others every one to build 
one in pioportion; but this method has been long dif- 
ufed, and the fitting out cur navy for many ages has 
been thrown into the public charge. King Edward MI. 
in his wars with France, had a fleet of Ihips before Ca¬ 
lais, fo numerous, that they amounted to leven hundred 
fail; but tliefe were only I'mall velTels. 
Notwitliftauding that the fleets of Great Britain have 
been remarkable for leveral ages pall, for tlie great and 
lignal vuftcrics obtained from time to time over tlieir 
enemies, and that in the reigns of foir.e of our ancient 
kings, there have been greater numbers of ftiips titled 
out at ditferent times, upon certain expeditions, than 
have been of late years, yet that of a loyal navy was 
never properly eftablilhed, until by Henry VIII. in the 
2 fourth 
